Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.

Thoroughbreds Rule at Donida

“Don’t forget that everyone in the leadline class gets a BLUE ribbon.”

By mid-afternoon on Saturday, I was seeking the shade behind the announcer’s tent at Donida Farms (and eavesdropping on the show staff).

There were three horses out in the arena packing the requisite adorable small child around for leadline. They were all thoroughbreds attending the Thoroughbred and Half-Thoroughbred show sponsored by the Prodigious Fund, Emerald Downs’ program to help transition former race horses.

I would have had a hard time judging, especially because I knew Turbo (Turban), but all the horses were doing their job, and from the expression on their rider’s faces, they were doing it perfectly. So they all deserved their blue ribbons.

I would also have been happy to see all the horses competing in the 100 Day Challenge win blue ribbons, but I suspect the trainers would not agree.

They are all keen competitors with a habit of winning. Today, that meant presenting their horse’s best qualities at the event final in a short freestyle program, as well as an in-hand class and a group class, as well as talking to fans and possibly interested buyers. All the challenge horses are former race horses at Emerald Downs, some in race training right up to the start of the challenge, so getting them ready to meet and greet was as much a part of it as the performance in their new discipline.

This is why I will count all the trainers as winners. Not only did they fulfil the stated mission of demonstrating the capability and versatility of the off-the-track thoroughbred, they documented the process through blogs, photos and videos. This is creating a resource to inspire others and help them suceed. They weren’t just training at home – they were out at events, competitions and on the trail, making friends and gaining fans. I have never seen such a big crowd at a Donida horse show. Even when I showed up in the morning, the near parking lot was full – first time I have been pleased to be directed to remote parking at an event!

Summer Snow, or Rainier, was the first challenge horse I spotted out meeting his fans with Devin Robel. I have to confess I was a Rainier fangirl – I had given him my vote, based on a single criteria — I think I would like to ride him! And if I had $7,500 and a small trust fund to keep him in style, I could gratify my wish – he is for sale, with a listing on Dream Horse or via Devin’s website.

Not only did he show off his nice suspension in a well-cadenced, forward trot, but he had a round, rhythmic canter as well. They popped over a few jumps and then did a couple of half-passes. The foundation is firmly in place already. Devin affirmed that his gaits were as good to ride as they appeared to be. Yes, I think I would like to ride this one. I did overhear more than one inquiry about him at the show, so if you wish to purchase him and let me ride him (just once is all I ask), move fast.

Not all the challenge horses were for sale – Meika Descher decided that Ellie (The Last Say) was so promising that she is keeping her as an eventer, to be syndicate by her breeder, Jenyka Bergsma and Polestar Farms. You can do this when you are one of the top competitors in Region 7 (shares in the syndicate are available, and you will be able to follow her progress at . After witnessing this moment, I asked if Ellie gave kisses to strangers too – she does, though I went for a kiss on the hand instead!

But let’s face it, a sweet nature is not what gets you to the top levels of eventing, though a willingness to please is certainly a factor. In her freestyle, Ellie demonstrated her other attributes: generous movement, willingness (she went straight through the “water obstacle” that the previous days rains had created in the arena corner), and jumping ability.

She capped it off by jumping out of the arena over a low wall.

“Was that intentional?” someone said beside me, just before Meika turned and waved to signal the completion of her performance.

The crowd was participatory at this event.

“Underfunded Fun – what a great name!” someone murmured behind me as the chestnut mare ambled into the arena where the horses did their first test – an in-hand pattern, with pumpkins for cones, and a whole horde of onlookers.

I missed her freestyle performance unfortunately, but she belied every cliche about chestnut mares in what I did get to see.

Her barn name, Sweet Pea, seemed very apt. I wish I had gotten to meet her up close, but it is evident from the way she checked in with Tara Devlin as they entered the arena that she has confidence in her humans.

It seems to be mutual – in the program it says that she is quiet and honest to the fences, as well as relaxed hacking out on the trails. and that she earned her nickname at the barn by being easy to handle.

Great job by Tara and Ruel Johnson.

Dakota Demon, the filly trained by Mark Bolender, went out and aced the trail course with him.

That’s no surprise, since Mark competes regularly in Extreme Trail competitions and has his own course at his farm (yes, you can go and ride there in one of his clinics).

The calm way the three-year old filly stepped up to the teeter-totter said millions. Her ears were forward as she put her hoof up on the raised end and brought it down to ground level. She knew what was going to happen and realized that she could control the balance. Likewise on the narrow balance beam – there was no rushing or nervousness. She has a long list of other complex obstacles to her credit in the program – I am wondering what the Texas Two-step is!

This was miles away from her work at the track – a whole new skill set put together in only 100 days. In a brief conversation with Mark, he said that the horses can learn the teeter-totter in a day. It is the humans who are typically a bit slower — true in more than one area of training. In fact, it is clear that our ideas of what thoroughbreds can do are frequently far narrower than their own.

You can watch her training videos on You Tube to see more of Dakota in action. She built quite a following online, it seems, as she was the winner of the audience vote, earning a fancy halter, as well as being runner-up in the overall challenge.

Of course, if you want to try it on a horse who already KNOWS how to do it, go check out Dakota!

And then there was Solar.

At this point, it is hardly a secret that Chesna Klimek and the seven year old gelding are the winners of the Challenge, so I won’t beat around the bush. Not only did they perform over fences, they did it bridleless and bareback and without hands.

She rode backwards, forwards, up onto a stand, slid off over his haunches and otherwise showed off the lovely, trusting relationship they had built, and with their shomwanship. You couldn’t argue with them winning the competition.

A big part of the hundred day challenge was to demonstrate just how versatile and calm a thoroughbred can be, even when they are “new on the job.”
Hilary Hutchinson, the show manager, told me that Chesna had spent some time watching the Extreme Mustang challenge competition videos to get some ideas on putting together an effective presentation.

Judging by their accomplishments, she had been doing her homework with horses for a long time before that.

Chesna told me that she didn’t really think Solar needed the rope around his neck that she used to guide him, but that it made other people less nervous. He doesn’t go bridleless all the time – he jumped very neatly in tack when he competed in morning classes.

In the program, she described him as amateur/youth-friendly, and also that he has schooled cross country and is doing training level dressage — he is also for sale.

Because that is the point of the Challenge – not just to show them off, but to get these horses into new homes, perhaps even so they can compete here next year (yes, next year is already being planned for).

And that leads me to perhaps the biggest winners of all – the many thoroughbreds who came from as far away as Sequim to participate and support the show. It was a glorious sight to see sixteen horses in the pleasure class, especially when they were all cantering together!

When you know all the work behind the performances, it makes it even more special.

Emily Bullard-Clough told me that the war horse class was especially important to her – her mare Onyx has some serious mileage at the track – and that ribbon was soon followed by more in the pleasure and equitation classes.

Jill Hallin, who put together the trail course and generally helped get this show off the ground, also did well with Turbo in the jumping and trail divisions, and then he competed successfully with one of her students in the afternoon.

Seeing how hard a show horse really has to work might change the terminology of the backstretch, where some owners refer to their former race horses as “being a pet” or “retired!”

I got a chance to talk to some of the competitors between the morning jumping classes and take some pictures, including this one of Wapo (Wapato Gold) and Cassidy who attracted my eye because of his relaxed attitude, who went on to win many of the day’s classes.

Another horse who seemed very composed was Lock Me Up, a homebred who came back to rider Beth Simon after he flunked out at the track.

He is now an eventer, though their form over fences would have done for an equitation round.

There were also many horses like Ziggy, who came to get some show experience with Monique Snowden. She is also a race horse trainer, together with her husband Dennis.

Ziggy was calm and cool, as were almost all the horses at the show. In fact, there was a remarkable lack of drama, especially when you consider that some of the horses had trained on the track at Donida earlier in their career!

In fact, there were quite a few competitors who were involved with thoroughbreds both at the track and afterwards. As this event highlights, there are a steady stream of Emerald Downs graduates who are quite successful in new careers – and many more who could be.

It takes human relationships to make that happen, and for people who might not otherwise have access to the back stretch, the show puts those people right at your elbow. It is an environment where everyone is into the horses, and they are standing right there, the perfect icebreaker!

And as a hint if you want to be in the ribbons, there were smaller classes in the Western division.

Some of the horses, like Gnarlin,competed (and won ribbons in both divisions). But you had better be serious about mastering your jog and lope, as well as blinging it up a little. There were some very accomplished horses and riders.

It wasn’t just the horses and riders who made the event a success.

Robert Geller, who is the track announcer at Emerald Downs, was amazed by the silver on those Western saddles. He and Joe Withy kept the information flowing, working from details solicited from competitors with their entry form, memory of the horses when they were at the track, and some quick smart-phone fact-checking to provide background on all the competitors. Lynn Mazer, who you may know as the announcer at the SAFE shows, was diverted from spectator to volunteer to help out. She coordinated results , as well as providing some background on the classes and criteria. Another SAFE veteran, Jeannette Parrett, also was helping out.

Robert was amazed by how much work it was to put together a horse show, while we were amazed by how he wove all the strands of information together into a smooth stream of commentary with such apparent ease.

This helped to make the work of the judges (Tami Masters, Patti Burns and Jaime Gray) less mystifying to those who aren’t horse show participants, or were watching classes outside their regular discipline. It also illuminated the number of people who had a stake in these horses’ success, whether it was former owners, trainers or those who worked with the horses through the different stages of their areer.

I met several spectators who had come to the event because they were racing fans, and others who were just horse lovers.

The glorious weather really helped attendance, though by the time the last classes wound up, the sun flirted from behind gathering clouds.

The very last class had only one contestant, but she was a special one. Rider Jody Parmenter is the photo finish photographer at Emerald Downs, and she was on a former Emerald Downs competitor she has been riding for many years. The smile on her face at the end of the class said it didn’t matter whether anyone was watching any more, she was out there with her partner, putting the crowning touch on the day.

Hilary is looking to “trade up” her show manager t-shirt for a Leah Anderson Dapplebay original!

Huge hats off to Sophia McKee and the team she recruited. They put this event together and pulled it off even while Sophia was away in South Africa. Another node to the event’s sponsors for helping to make it happen.

There are plenty more pictures on my Horsebytes Facebook page, and I know that Cheri Wicklund and other photographers were there, so I will add links when I find them. Video of the final performances are up on the Prodigious Fund Facebook page now. Willy (Willfulness) was stuck at home, new haircut and all, but maybe next year we’ll come and rock the teeter-totter!

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.